Cultural centre agreement nears completion

Aurora Cultural Centre

The town may not seek extra money from the Aurora Cultural Centre after all.
Aurora staff presented an updated draft lease agreement between the municipality and the cultural centre to council.
The proposed agreement covers the use of the Church Street school property and will be debated by councillors Jan. 15.
Provisions some councillors recently asked for, including forcing the cultural centre to hand over a percentage of admission sales to the town, are not included in the draft.
Instead, the cultural centre should be asked to pay a nominal fee of $1 per year in rent, Aurora CAO Neil Garbe said.
Some councillors also asked for some control over the facility's subleasing process.
The cultural centre receives $6,000 per year from the York Region Arts Council through a sublease agreement.
However, taking control of subleasing would create logistical problems for the town and cultural centre, Mr. Garbe said.
"The philosophy of the agreement is that the ACC is a partner in the delivery of a service on behalf of the town, operating out of a town-owned space," Mr. Garbe said. "Funding of the service comes from the town, private donations, fundraising, program registration and permit revenue."
Under the terms of the draft agreement, two councillors could be appointed to the cultural centre board.
The ACC would make an annual grant request to the town, provide permanent space for a museum and host quarterly public meetings. The board's agendas, minutes, constitution, bylaws, policies and reports would also become publicly accessible.
"No agreement will (be) in the best interest of the town," Councillor Evelyn Buck said. "It may be a serious issue in the next election. I'll make sure of it."